Historical Perspective of
Metallic Implants

The first metal alloy developed specifically for human
use was "vanadium steel" in the early 1900's.The earliest
successful implants were bone plates, introduced in the early 1900s to
stabilize bone fractures and accelerate their healing. As early as the first
bone plate implants, surgeons identified material and
problems that
resulted in premature loss of implant function, as evidenced by mechanical
failure, corrosion, and poor biocompatibility. Design, material selection, and
biocompatibility remain the three critical issues in today's biomedical implants
and devices.